My CT ends his classes the same way almost each time. He asks the students to get to their assigned seats, he then assigns homework for them and sometimes asks the students to read and write out vocabulary words from the next chapter. That's pretty much the routine. However, the classes are 90min long and in almost every class, the last 15-20min go to total waste. Most of the students are not doing anything, they put their backpacks on and sit at their desks with their heads down or they just sit and chat with their friends. Once the bell rings, they leave the classroom.
Curtis Corner Middle School
This CT ends her classes pretty much the same way as well. A few minutes before the class ends, my CT usually looks up at the clock and then asks the students to put away their books and notebooks. She then asks the students to stand up and push their chairs under the desks. Once every table is ready, she dismisses the class by the tables (there are about 4-6 students per table usually). This way the doorway in the class doesn't get too congested.
REFLECTION:
In both schools, the students are familiar with the closing routine; they know what's going to happen and how the classes end. I like how the middle school teacher keeps the students engaged almost the whole class and uses the last couple of minutes to get the students organized and dismisses them by groups to maintain order in the room. I will likely use the same strategies when dismissing my classes. In high school, however, I don't think that the time is being used wisely. I agree that the students should have some "dead time" before the next class (especially since one class lasts about 90min). However, 15-20 min of not doing anything seems really wasteful. Even if the assignments were completed, I would just stand in front of the class close to the students or take a seat in one of the front seats and face towards the students. I would then try to initiate a conversation with them. For example, we could just even talk about current events and discuss any science related events that have been in the news. I wouldn't feel comfortable about not keeping the students engaged for nearly a quarter of the allotted class time.
OBSERVATION:
Coventry High School
My CT ends his classes the same way almost each time. He asks the students to get to their assigned seats, he then assigns homework for them and sometimes asks the students to read and write out vocabulary words from the next chapter. That's pretty much the routine. However, the classes are 90min long and in almost every class, the last 15-20min go to total waste. Most of the students are not doing anything, they put their backpacks on and sit at their desks with their heads down or they just sit and chat with their friends. Once the bell rings, they leave the classroom.
Curtis Corner Middle School
This CT ends her classes pretty much the same way as well. A few minutes before the class ends, my CT usually looks up at the clock and then asks the students to put away their books and notebooks. She then asks the students to stand up and push their chairs under the desks. Once every table is ready, she dismisses the class by the tables (there are about 4-6 students per table usually). This way the doorway in the class doesn't get too congested.
REFLECTION:
In both schools, the students are familiar with the closing routine; they know what's going to happen and how the classes end. I like how the middle school teacher keeps the students engaged almost the whole class and uses the last couple of minutes to get the students organized and dismisses them by groups to maintain order in the room. I will likely use the same strategies when dismissing my classes. In high school, however, I don't think that the time is being used wisely. I agree that the students should have some "dead time" before the next class (especially since one class lasts about 90min). However, 15-20 min of not doing anything seems really wasteful. Even if the assignments were completed, I would just stand in front of the class close to the students or take a seat in one of the front seats and face towards the students. I would then try to initiate a conversation with them. For example, we could just even talk about current events and discuss any science related events that have been in the news. I wouldn't feel comfortable about not keeping the students engaged for nearly a quarter of the allotted class time.